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Weekly Dispatch · 6 September 2026

The table moved before Barça kicked off

Both Madrid clubs lost before Barça reached Mestalla, and by Sunday evening Barça were outright leaders for the first time this season. The Femení won again on Saturday without anybody new to point at, and Flick finally had a bench he could use. The club announced a billion euros of income in the same month it prepares to ask the socis for permission to borrow more. The table is worth enjoying, though the season has not started asking anything of this team yet.

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The lead was there to take before the ball crossed halfway.

  1. 01Barça took the points Madrid left behindReal Madrid lost at Betis and Atlético were beaten at San Mamés before Barça had kicked a ball at Mestalla. Four matches settles nothing, but Barça are outright leaders for the first time this season.Open topic
  2. 02The Femení are spreading four departures across the squad they keptEsmee Brugts, Clàudia Pina, Marta Torrejón and Vicky López scored at Sevilla. Nobody has been appointed the successor to any of the four players who left.Open topic
  3. 03Flick finally had more players than he neededBarça settled Mestalla early enough that the second half became squad management rather than the defence of a lead.Open topic
  4. 04Arsenal and Bayern arrive late enough for the Femení to prepareThe Women's Champions League schedule gives Barça most of the autumn before the rebuilt squad is examined by anyone capable of examining it.Open topic
  5. 05Barça passed a billion euros and are still borrowing against future television rightsIncome passed a billion euros for the first time. Xavi Hernández Navarro reports for ARA that the club is more than 350 million short of finishing Camp Nou and is issuing bonds against future television rights.Open topic

La Liga6 September 2026

VenueMestalla

Both Madrid clubs had already dropped points when Barça kicked off, and Barça turned that into the first clear lead of the season with a match Valencia never made competitive.

Champions LeagueUp next

Feyenoord

9 September 2026, 18:45

VenueCamp Nou

Whether Flick gives Rodri a second start immediately after an untidy first one, and how much of the Mestalla bench he is willing to trust from kickoff in Europe.

Liga F5 September 2026

VenueEstadio Jesús Navas

Four scorers and a second clean sheet, with the substitutions spreading minutes further still. Sevilla were beaten before half time, which made the afternoon a rotation exercise rather than a test.

Liga FUp next

Atlético Madrid

12 or 13 September 2026, 19:00

VenueEstadi Johan Cruyff

Whether the academy players who have been given minutes in two comfortable wins keep them against the first opponent capable of making the match close.

The Temperature

Four wins from four and a three-point lead are a good place to be in early September and a poor place to draw conclusions from. Barça have beaten Elche, Athletic Club, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, which is what a strong side does to that list. The fixtures capable of separating a strong side from a very good one begin on Wednesday. It is a lead to enjoy rather than to argue from.

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Dispatch

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A wide elevated view across Camp Nou shows concrete tiers packed with a crowd and thousands of small Esteladas, with the pitch edge and a floodlight beneath a cool blue sky.The scorelines were the easy part of the weekS2026-27E02 · 1 September 2026A small group of faceless footballers runs out of a glowing stadium tunnel and fans across a saturated blue pitch, casting long shadows toward the viewer.The season opens wider than the scoreS2026-27E01 · 24 August 2026